Participants of the Boston Marathon run down the front stretch to the yard of bricks to complete their race before the 2013 Indianapolis 500. / Jerry Lai, USA TODAY Sports

by Chris Jenkins, Special to USA TODAY Sports

by Chris Jenkins, Special to USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS -- With the chaos of last month's Boston Marathon bombing still fresh in his mind, Joe Briseno came to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a quick Sunday morning jog -- and a sense of closure.

Briseno, a 47-year-old pastor from Mason City, Ill., was one of about 35 Boston Marathon runners who ran from Turn 4 to the finish line shortly before the green flag of the Indianapolis 500. Carrying a pair of American flags and high-fiving pit crew members as they ran down pit lane, the runners received a standing ovation from the crowd on the frontstretch.

For the runners, it was a chance to symbolically finish the race they couldn't April 15 when a pair of terrorist bombs exploded near the finish line.

"Closure. Healing. It's been a whale of a last six weeks," Briseno said at the track Sunday morning, a few hours before the runners took to the track. "So I'm looking forward to finishing this and putting this chapter of my life behind me. So this is a real blessing."

Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials extended the invitation for runners to the Boston Athletic Association, which contacted runners in Indiana and nearby states who weren't able to finish. Runners also were given tickets for the race.

For the track, it was a fresh twist on a prerace ceremony already known for its respectful Memorial Day weekend traditions.

"The tragedy last month in Boston still resonates with everyone, so we wanted to give runners the chance to finish the race in front of thousands of fans who will appreciate their persistence and determination," said Doug Boles, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's chief operating officer. "Everyone will remember the victims while also celebrating the strength and indomitable spirit of these special competitors as they cross the hallowed Yard of Bricks."

The memory of that day hasn't faded away for Briseno, who still remembers the sense of confusion and fear that he and other runners felt when the race was stopped. Briseno, who had run six marathons before but was participating in his first Boston Marathon, was at mile 25.8 at the time of the bombings but didn't hear them go off because the crowd was so loud.

"I asked one of the spectators what's going on ahead, and he said there had been two bomb blasts," Briseno said. "That's when I knew something was drastically wrong. They held us there 15 minutes later after they stopped us, one of the officials. They didn't tell us what happened, they (just told) us something had happened. That they were detaining us and they would find out when they would let us run again. And then another 20 minutes went by, they just asked for our patience, they didn't give us any information."

For runners already feeling drained, news of the attacks took a toll.

"There were a couple of people around me that began to lose it emotionally," Briseno said. "We were all emotionally spent."

Briseno did what he could to help, offering fellow runners the use of his cell phone.

"Because we were all deeply concerned about friends and family waiting at the finish line," Briseno said. "So I made a few calls for them and tried to calm them down and that seemed to help a little bit."

They waited for more than an hour before being allowed to disperse.

"The temperatures were in the 40s, with a headwind and the sweat on our bodies, we were cooling down very quickly and a couple of people went hypothermic," Briseno said. "We were all shivering and became a little disoriented by the time they let us go. But very dramatic. It was very difficult."